A Guide to the Walter Feit Papers, 1933-2005

Walter Feit, 1930-2004,
was a pure mathematician who contributed to algebra, geometry, topology, number
theory and logic and was co-author of one of the most influential papers ever
written on finite group theory, “Solvability of Groups of Odd Order.”
Correspondence and other printed material, including preprints, reprints and
manuscripts, make up the bulk of this collection.

Walter Feit, 1930-2004, was a pure
mathematician who contributed to algebra, geometry, topology, number theory and
logic and was co-author of one of the most influential papers ever written on
finite group theory, “Solvability of Groups of Odd Order.” Feit was born in
Vienna, but in 1939 he fled Austria for England via KinderTransport. In 1946,
Feit left England for the United States to live with family in Florida. Soon
after, he entered the University of Chicago and earned both his BA and Master’s
degree in 1951. Feit did his Ph.D. work at the University of Michigan and
joined the mathematics faculty at Cornell University in 1953. In 1964, Feit
joined the mathematics faculty of Yale University, where he remained for 40
years, until his retirement in 2003. While his most famous result is the proof
of the Feit-Thompson theorem, completed jointly with John G. Thompson, Feit
wrote and published extensively over the years, working in finite group theory
and modular character theory.

Walter Feit was awarded the Cole Prize by
the American Mathematical Society in 1965 for his work with Thompson and was
elected to the National Academy of Sciences (1977) and the American Academy of
Arts and Sciences. Feit also served as Vice-President of the International
Mathematical Union.

Correspondence and other printed
material, including preprints, reprints and manuscripts, make up the bulk of
this collection. The collection contains a wealth (9 in.) of correspondence
between Feit and John G. Thompson, primarily mathematical in nature, but also
covering more personal topics. Papers, preprints and reprints comprise
approximately 10 inches of the collection, although most reprints are included
in duplicate, when available. Of particular biographical relevance are the
materials related to Walter Feit’s memorial service, as they include memoirs of
his life in Vienna and England.

Also included in the collection are
materials from Richard Brauer (1901-1977), mathematician and Walter Feit’s
mentor. Of note are bound class notes given to Feit by a student of
Brauer.

Original file titles were retained when
possible. File titles created by the archivist are enclosed in square
brackets.

Access Restrictions

Restricted access. Materials from
Geoffrey Robinson are restricted as they pertain to yet to be published
matters. Portions of the correspondence have been restricted until 2020.
Digital media is also restricted. All other materials are unrestricted.